Keeping it international

Earlier this year, visiting English professor John McCourt was thrown in jail for attempting to enter the United States with improper documentation. After poor treatment from customs officials and a forced return to his home in Italy, McCourt was finally allowed to return to the United States and resume his teaching post.

Unfortunately, the larger problems didn't end when McCourt exited the airport terminal.

Right as Penn has begun a major push to increase its international presence, reputation and appeal, the federal government has been slowly making it tougher for schools to function on an international scale.

Besides incidents such as McCourt's -- which have become increasingly frequent since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks -- a number of new restrictions threaten to severely harm American institutions of higher education.

The federal government recently announced it is considering changes to rules regarding who can work in scientific laboratories that deal with potentially dangerous substances. These proposed restrictions would barely allow foreign students and professors to work with an elementary-school chemistry set.

In addition, obtaining a visa has become much more difficult -- one of the reasons behind a recent 3.6-percent decline in international-student enrollment at American universities.

Fewer and fewer foreign students are coming to the United States instead choosing to study in Europe or remain in places with fast-developing educational systems like India. While Penn has been able to buck that trend, significant changes must be made to ensure that both the University continues to expand its global presence and the United States continues to be the center of international education.

It is incredibly important to have people like John McCourt at Penn and other schools around the country, and the federal government must act quickly to increase international-student enrollment and to bring more international professors to American colleges and universities.

When students decide to attend Penn, they expect that they will be learning from professors at the top of their field -- not just nationally, but internationally. If the government places larger restrictions on who can teach, the potential for all students to learn will also be restricted.

Harsher visa restrictions such as those faced by McCourt, as well as limits on scientific research, will only exacerbate the problem.

President Amy Gutmann should continue to push these issues in the FBI Higher Education Advisory Board on which she serves. She should also work to recruit major department heads and officials at other universities to the cause.

Furthermore, individual departments at Penn must not be discouraged by the treatment of McCourt. They should continue to reach out and attract top scholars from around the world.

It will take an effort from all sides, but the University can only attain the international appeal called for under Gutmann's Penn Compact with a faculty and student body that draws from the world's best and brightest.

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